Love Nero
The palace meeting hall was as silent as a grave.
All officials were silent, and even breathing was accompanied by a heavy feeling of oppression.
Ramses sat on the golden throne, his young face covered with a layer of frost, and his hawk-like eyes were fixed on the figure bound by chains at the steps below - Anubis.
The air was filled with the blood and dust of the failed coup, but there was no trace of the defeat's dejection on Anubis' face.
His clothes were ragged and his hair was disheveled, but he still stood straight, as if what was locked up was not his body, but some kind of beast that was powerful enough to shake the king's power.
He met Ramses' gaze, and a poisonous sneer slowly appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"Anubis!!!" Ramses' voice was low and dangerous, like the undercurrent surging at the bottom of the Nile River.
"Do you admit your guilt?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's heart was in their throat.
However, Anubis did not beg for mercy, nor did he make any excuses. He just looked up to the sky and laughed wildly. The laughter echoed in the empty hall, sounding particularly harsh and weird.
His laughter abruptly stopped. He suddenly raised his head, his eyes gleaming with an almost insane light. He roared with all his might, "Guilt? What crime have I committed?! Everything I did was in compliance with the will of the previous king. Ramses is not of legitimate royal blood and is not qualified to inherit this sacred throne!"
One stone can cause a thousand ripples!
With a loud "boom", the entire conference hall exploded.
The whispers instantly merged into a huge wave of sound, and eyes filled with shock, suspicion, and fear swept back and forth between Ramses and Anubis.
The purity of the royal bloodline is the cornerstone of the legitimacy of the pharaoh's rule. Anubis' words were like throwing a bomb into everyone's hearts that was enough to overthrow the entire dynasty.
"How dare you!" Ramses was furious. He stood up suddenly from the throne, emitting a suffocating kingly pressure.
He gripped the golden scepter tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.
He almost ordered on the spot that this traitor, full of nonsense, be dragged out to feed the crocodiles.
At this critical moment, a cold and calm voice rang out: "Your Majesty, please postpone the verdict."
Everyone's eyes were focused on the source of the voice - Ding Wei standing beside the throne.
She was dressed in a simple white robe. In this tense atmosphere, she was like a water lily blooming in the flames, calm and determined.
Ramses looked at her, the anger in his eyes subsided a little, but still full of confusion.
Ding Wei didn't look at him, her gaze was as sharp as a knife, piercing Anubis.
"He said he has the late king's will. Please ask him to present it." Her tone was calm, but every word was weighty. "I believe the truth cannot be covered up by lies."
She noticed that as she spoke, a hint of barely perceptible panic flashed across the depths of Anubis's seemingly crazed eyes.
It was this moment of hesitation that made Ding Wei certain in her heart that he was bluffing!
Ramses took a deep breath, suppressed the rage in his heart, and sat back on the throne.
He trusted Ding Wei and trusted her wisdom that could always see through the fog.
He said in a deep voice, "Alright. Present the so-called 'last will'!"
Soon, a papyrus scroll wrapped in linen was presented.
It certainly looked old, with yellowing around the edges and a stale air.
Ding Wei personally walked down the steps and, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, took over the "last will" that would determine the future of Egypt.
She did not unfold it immediately, but first put it to her nose and sniffed it gently, and then stroked the texture of the papyrus with her fingertips.
Her movements were unhurried, as if she was not appraising a document concerning royal power, but appreciating a work of art.
"The craftsmanship of this papyrus is indeed the style of the previous kings."
Ding Wei spoke slowly, but Anubis changed the subject: "It's a pity, its toughness is too good, much newer than those papers that have been sealed in the tomb for the same amount of time. And this ink..."
She held the scroll close to the candlelight.
"The iron content in this ink is unusual. It's a new ink that was improved in modern times to make handwriting appear darker and darker. Using this new ink to imitate ancient writing is a truly brilliant technique."
Anubis's expression changed slightly, but he forced himself to remain calm and said, "That's nonsense! You're just a foreign woman, what do you know about Egyptian antiquities?"
Ding Wei ignored him and ordered the attendant beside her, "Get a bowl of water, some vinegar and pomegranate peel."
Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what she was going to do.
Soon, everything was ready.
In front of everyone, Ding Wei mixed vinegar and pomegranate peel juice with clean water to create a bowl of slightly reddish-brown potion.
"I once read in an ancient book that the ink used by the ancient kings to write important imperial edicts was made from silt from the Nile River mixed with carbon powder and gum. It is stable and can last for thousands of years." Her voice was clearly heard in every corner of the hall.
"To imitate its color, counterfeiters often add metal powder, but they don't know that this kind of ink is most afraid of acid corrosion."
Before she finished speaking, she picked up the "last will" and dipped a corner of it into the bowl of special potion without hesitation.
A miracle happened!
The originally clear and dark handwriting, when it came into contact with the potion, quickly blurred like ice and snow meeting the scorching sun, turning into a blurry ink stain, revealing the blank papyrus underneath.
Ding Wei held up the evidence and asked loudly, "How could a genuine will from a previous king, a sacred document of royal authority, be so frightened of even a drop of acid?"
The evidence is irrefutable!
The whole room was in uproar, and all doubts disappeared.
The officials who had previously been skeptical fell to their knees and shouted, "Your Majesty is wise."
Even the old priest, who had remained silent the entire time, slowly lowered his usually proud head and admitted in a dry voice, "Princess, you are absolutely right. This is indeed a forgery."
"No——!" Anubis finally collapsed completely.
All his disguises and calculations were torn to pieces by Ding Wei at this moment.
He struggled frantically in the chains like a trapped beast, roaring in despair: "You don't understand! You understand nothing! I am the one most loyal to Egypt! Everything I do is for Egypt!"
Ramses' face was as gloomy as water, and there was no trace of emotion in his eyes.
He raised his hand and pronounced a cold sentence: "The traitor Anubis will be exiled to the mines of southern Nubia for lifelong hard labor. He will never set foot in Thebes again!"
The verdict was handed down, and the night before the execution, it was dark and damp deep in the dungeon.
Ding Wei walked in alone, holding an oil lamp.
She placed a bowl of water in front of Anubis, who was huddled in the corner.
Anubis raised his bloodshot eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "Are you here to laugh at me?"
"If you really want to do this for Egypt..." Ding Wei's voice was soft, but it clearly penetrated the silence of the cell.
"You should know that internal division is far more deadly than any external enemy."
Anubis was shocked and remained silent for a long time.
The only sound in the cell was the crackling of the burning oil lamp.
Finally, as if draining all his strength, he whispered, "If...if I had your wisdom and talent, would Pharaoh also see it? Would Egypt see it?"
This question hides all his resentment and jealousy.
Ding Wei looked at him quietly and replied, "What you lack is not talent, but faith. Faith in your king, faith in your people, and even more so, faith in the land you stand on."
After saying this, she turned and left, leaving Anubis and his unfulfilled ambitions in the endless darkness.
After the storm subsided, in order to completely consolidate Ding Wei's position, Queen Mother Hathor held a grand "name-rectification ceremony" for her at the Karnak Temple.
All the noble ladies of the palace and women from aristocratic families were present, their looks were complicated, a mixture of awe and scrutiny.
Under the huge stone statue of the god Amun, Hathor personally put a blue lotus crown made of gold and lapis lazuli on Ding Wei. This is a crown that only the legitimate princess is qualified to wear.
"From now on," Hathor's voice was solemn and resonant, "the name of Nefertari will no longer be just a title, but a common glory for Upper and Lower Egypt."
Ding Wei's eyes were slightly moist. She could feel the weight of the crown on her head, and even more so the responsibility behind this honor.
She turned around and took a scarab amulet she had designed from the maid's hand. She solemnly handed it to Hathor and said, "Mother, may we no longer be stars fighting against each other for light, but the sun and moon that illuminate this home together."
Hathor took her hand, a genuine smile in his eyes.
The women in the audience also lowered their eyes and offered the most humble respect in this harmonious scene.
That night, the moonlight was like water and the Nile River flowed quietly.
Ramses dismissed all his attendants and invited Ding Wei to ride on the royal boat and wander in the quiet river.
The moonlight shone on Ramses' profile, giving his handsome features a soft silver glow.
He took out a roll of thin gold foil from his arms and unfolded it in front of Ding Wei.
A line of oath was engraved on the gold foil in the most beautiful hieroglyphics: I, Ramses, swear in the name of Amon, the chief of the gods, to make Nefertari my only true love in this life, and this love will last forever, for heaven and earth to witness.
Ding Wei's heart trembled suddenly, and she stretched out her slightly trembling hand, wanting to take this heavy promise.
However, the moment her fingertips touched the cool gold foil, she whispered, "I don't need gods to witness our love, Ramses. I only need your heart."
Ramses gazed into her eyes as clear as stars. There was no desire for power in them, only the purest love.
He suddenly smiled, and that smile was bright enough to make the stars in the sky pale in comparison.
The next second, he did something that shocked Ding Wei - he let go of his hand, allowing the priceless gold foil oath to float into the deep Nile River.
"Then let the Nile carry away this oath." His voice was low and powerful in the night.
"Let it flow through every inch of land in our kingdom, irrigate every field, and let it tell all my people that she, Nefertari, is the only king that I, Ramses, have recognized in this life."
On the way back, Ding Wei fell asleep in Ramses' arms.
She dreamed of the legendary Queen Nefertiti again.
This time, the queen's smile was no longer filled with sadness. She looked deeply at Ding Wei, and her figure slowly dissipated like smoke, leaving only a clear sentence in the air: "The fire in your heart has been ignited. Although the road ahead is dangerous, my son has no fear."
Ding Wei suddenly woke up. Outside the window, the morning light had dyed the eastern sky red.
Her mind was clear and she felt more determined than ever before.
She knew that from this moment on, she was no longer the confused Ding Wei who came from another world, but Nefertari, the princess who truly belonged to this ancient land.
However, the test of fate seems to have just begun.
Just as the morning light completely covered the city of Thebes, a galloping horse came galloping from the distant horizon, stirring up a cloud of dust.
The messenger on horseback, holding high a flag representing urgent military information, rushed towards the palace, shouting hoarsely: "Urgent news! The new Hittite king has sent an envoy to seek peace!"
In front of the palace gate, the messenger dismounted, almost crawled to his knees on the ground, and presented a letter from the north.
"The Hittites are willing to stop the war, but... but they put forward a condition..."
The messenger trembled and said, "They are willing to offer the most beautiful Hittite princess to our king in marriage to sign a treaty of eternal peace between our two countries!"
The breeze in the early morning suddenly became icy cold.
Ding Wei, who has just received the promise of her only true love, will once again face severe tests of her identity and love from the powerful empire.
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